Search - Chris Cornell :: Scream

Better than I thought it might be

It's Me, | Houston | 03/10/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When I first heard Cornell would work with Timbaland, I braced for the worst, especially after hearing the awful work he did with Duran Duran last year. Usually, I find Timbaland's work too sterile (the beats, while danceable, too perfect to really groove). And that's somewhat the case here. I really like a lot of the old style synth sounds that are used, and the textures and deep bass are great, but the whole thing sounds a bit artificial. It's saved somewhat by Cornell's voice. Timbaland's usual pop or rap pairings mostly can't sing like this, so Cornell can take the songs up a notch. And as with Cornell's last solo album, the vocals are sounding much better than in the Audioslave era. He constructs some pretty memorable melodies. The thing that's missing vs. his previous solo work, however, are all the open guitar tunings and harmonic color provided from them. These songs give up so much to the rhythm of the loops that there isn't much room for the more interesting chord changes that characterize Cornell's best stuff. Some people will reflexively give it 1-star, but it's far better than that. Nevetheless, it's not as interesting as his first two solo albums, and so we hope its a transition on toward something more expansive. I admire his guts to try a project like this, but I might have chosen a different (more musically diverse) producer than is Timbaland. To go in this type of direction, someone like Danger Mouse might have been a hipper choice.



"

Huge Departure? Yes. Addictive? Oh Yeah.

rick33 | Sydney, Australia | 05/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a Chris Cornell fan from about 1989 it is very telling that I've very rarely been disappointed by this artist.



I was heartbroken when Soundgarden broke up and a bit wary of Audioslave... then I fell under the Cornell/Morello spell. Then there are his three solo albums. All have their positives and negatives. "Carry On" is Cornell's one album I really had to work a bit get into, but eventually did.



Then came "Scream". I have to admit, upon the first listen I was thinking, "What the hell IS this? He's gone down some funky, poppy, R&B road!" But man... once I got hooked by one song (Enemy) it wasn't long before I was hooked on all the rest. Plus, with the way the songs are designed to flow into eachother, I find it nearly impossible to just listen to one song at time.



This album, though a huge departure, is by far Cornell's most energetic, addictive and just plain enjoyable solo album to date. He is a true artist who obviously has no interest in rehashing what he's done before and brave enough take a risk on new genre... and, as one would only expect from him, DOMINATE it.



If you are purely a genre fan, no matter the performer, and you only tolerate the rock genre, then this album is probably not for you. But if you are a fan of an artist and trust a gifted one to create something special, then I highly recommend this album."

Severely Underrated!

Jay Sinkie | Mitchell, South Dakota, USA | 12/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I gotta say, I really enjoy this side of Chris Cornell.



I've seen all sorts review the record, but I think a lot of people misjudge the album. Wether it be die-hard grungers that hate even the idea of Timbaland being on a fan-mix with Cornell (let alone a legit full-length record), clubbers that think the idea of a rocker's vocals layering themselves over production by Timbaland is downright blasphemous to Timbaland, or just the average critic that thinks the only good music made was by Kanye West and Britney Spears (not bashing the artists, just giving 'Top 40' examples) and anything straying from those lines isn't worth anybody's time, most of them just don't seem to get it; the record is first and foremost, an experiment.



It's a step down one path in Cornell experimenting and evolving as an artist. Who knows, Cornell's next record could be completely different from this one, as well as anything he's done in the past. As someone who loves music from most all genres of music (at least all that I've come across so far), I really enjoyed this record.



It's put together very nicely; while blending together as one record, the noticeable mix-up in production between tracks is also a nice touch. While some of the tracks are more serious in lyrical content, others are more upbeat club-ish tracks. When it comes right down to it, it's just a fun record to listen to.



Bottom line, if you're only a rock/grunge fan, this record may not be for you (although I would recommend checking out one of the record's b-side's "Lost Cause" if you're such a fan, even though the production is flawlessly recognizable as being by Timbaland, it's still a good rock track). If you're more of a club/pop music oriented person, you're apt to be more receptive to the overall feel of the album. But if you're open-minded musically, and enjoy music of all genres, you're bound to like most of the album, if not all of it.



I hope Cornell isn't disheartened by some of the fans' and critics' reactions, and maybe even puts out another record in this same vein. I know I'd buy it."